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Monday, February 17, 2014

Week 14....Cambodia really is a 3rd world country

Man it has been another crazy week! Prei Toal or trash village has been
out of control this week. This week we had crazy meals and my stomach is
still messed up. Some members fed us crane meat, fermented duck
embryos, and sadly yes.. even dog. I'm sorry everyone! I had to, they
don't have any food as is and I just had to. I will never again! But
anyways so Prei Toal.. All the people are getting really sick with
chicken pox. It has broken out bad! So we visited a lot of people and
administered unto them giving them help and blessings if desired. And
according to their faith they have been healed. The people have so much
faith! They truly have strong testimonies that through faith and Christ
they can make anything happen. And they need it because they are really
struggling with all the sickness and poverty. They inspire me everyday
by some of the members faith in the village. I mean it is pretty crazy
there too don't get me wrong, but it's really starting to feel like
home, I forgot what a real house looks like :P This week we've done a
lot more contacting and found 4 new investigators to teach!! One in
particular is really neat to me because he is mine. Usually Elder Cannon
does a lot of talking because he knows Khmer already but this guy named
Lim Hou speaks a little English and man is he prepared. He comes up to
me and asks who I am and what I'm doing and I tell him I'm serving a
mission for my church and then he asks if he can come and I'm just in
awe like YESSSS please (: This week we taught him about the Restoration
and he came to our English Class on Wednesday. He has a sweet wife who
is so kind and the cutest little girl probably about 1 that crawls all
around his house and it's just such a precious family. I'm really
excited we are teaching them! (: Sometimes lessons aren't so easy
though, this week we were teaching a family in their little bamboo hut
and outside a huge fight broke out with the people next door and it was
just scary but then the family just told us to focus and teach with the
Spirit so that bad feeling could go away and it ended up being an
amazing lesson about the priesthood and we are working with the men in
the house now to be worthy to use their priesthood in their lives to bless
their families (: Another experience that was cool was Elder Cannon and
I were tracking and this lady comes out of nowhere and asks us to come
see her husband he is really sick. So we follow her through like a maze
house and find this tiny stuffy room and the littlest Cambodian man is
in there and has been sick for 2 months. He hasn't eaten in two months
and you can literally see his bones through the thin layer of skin. He
can't respond or do anything so we wonder what we can do, and then I
feel the strongest spiritual prompting and tell Elder Cannon, "We can
heal this man I know it."Then the lady asks us to give a blessing and
it's on her faith because this man is out of it and she tells us she
believes. So we bless this poor man and afterwards he sits up straight
with tears in his eyes and bows to us. He acknowledges us and I know the
Lord answered that woman's prayers and through her faith that man will
be okay. I just know it. The Lord is helping us. Guiding us and is there
for us. I had to bless the bread in Khmer yesterday at church and I
know the Lord loosed my tongue because that prayer is HARD. He is
everywhere. Guiding every step. Helping us find His children that are
prepared and helping us be instruments in His hands. This is the most
important work I could ever do, and I've never been so grateful to do
it. These people need it more than ever right now and it's an honor and a
privilege the Lord trusts me to do this work for Him. I love Cambodia
and I love this people! Best mission in the world! Until next week.

Elder Spencer Paul Nhem

OK so let me explain these pictures. #1 in trash village, #2 in between where Elder Nhem lives and trash village & #3 Penny's bed. I'm so happy he has a mat and a pillow. I know it's silly but I feel so much better :)

Email to MOM:Hey Mom!!! I haven't gotten any letters yet it'll take awhile I heard so
just gotta be patient and rely on email. But I'm feeling great, a long
hard week and I've been having really bad nightmares lately.. like every
night but this week was really successful. I taught a lot more in
lessons, contacted a lot more and got 4 new investigators and Ohm Srei
Ohn committed to baptism this week!!! It's such an amazing feeling
helping these people Mom!! My stomach got a little better but is back at
it again because I think it's from eating a mee cha but I'm not sure :P
It's all good, if it gets bad Sister Moon says to just let her know and
she will give me some medicine. We teach about 6 recent convert
families and have some amazing and golden contacts, I'll talk more about
that in my big letter. The food is crazy here, just so you know this
week members fed us fermented duck embryos and dog.... YUCK i hate all
of it but it's all they have so I had to.... :O But yeah I have a
mattress thingy now to sleep on the floor and stuff but hey so yeah I'm
in trash village every single day just doing what I can (: And I love you too and miss you tons! And your cooking haaha.

Email to DAD:Another week, another adventure. Well, I ate just the dog meat with some lime and pepper... and yes duck eggs with baby
ducks in them.. SOOOOO GROSS DAD! It was so hard not to spit it out but
the branch president was watching me like a hawk to see my reaction so I
had to smile and swallow it :O And the bathroom is a huge tile room
with a toilet with a butt sprayer and a shower.. It's nice (:
hehehe I'll
tell you what i just sent Myk, it's kinda funny.. I'm so clumsy and was
running away from a dog this week and fell off my bike and broke my
chain hahaha :D And then another time I got spooked and distracted and
accidently hit a cement wall this week :P Man I'm the clumsiest person
ever but you already knew that :O
Love you!